Commercial car wash operations often include optional extra cost features such as undercarriage wash, rust inhibitor application and tire dressing application. One known method of tire dressing applicator comprises an elongate pad of open cell foam plastic which can be saturated with tire dressing by means of internal nozzles and brought into a position where the outer surface of the pad engages the sidewall of the tires of a vehicle which is rolling past the applicator on a conveyor. This applicator necessarily uses reticulated foam which is capable of allowing the dressing to migrate from an interior cavity to an outer surface and is shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,936,104, 6,461,685 and 6,461,429.
In these devices, the pad is mounted on a bracket which can be moved toward the path of tire travel until it is in a position where it will make contact with the tire sidewall surfaces as the vehicle passes through the tire dressing station. There is often a strong scuffing or brushing interaction between the tire sidewall and the outer pad surface during dressing application. This interaction can give rise to rapid pad wear and a requirement for frequent replacement. Other problems in prior art tire dressing applicators include the fact that they are generally only suitable for use with one type of tire dressing; i.e., a tire dressing having a single chemical composition, and, in addition, are wasteful of dressing liquid as a result of oversaturation of the pad and consequent dripping of the dressing onto the carwash floor.